The new low-temperature 3D printing, the product can mimic the characteristics of the brain and lung


Traditional 3D bio-printing can produce 3D scaffolds for biomedical applications,Researchers at Imperial College London have recently developed a method of low-temperature + 3D printing.The printed structure can mimic the characteristics of organs such as the brain and lungs.Relevant research results published in the "Scientific Reports" magazine.




Researchers achieved this method by rapidly solidifying a 3D printed ink solution below its freezing point using solid carbon dioxide (dry ice).After thawing, the gel-forming soft tissue is as soft as body tissue,but it won't collapse because of its own weight. This is a problem that has always been in the past.


Dr. Antonio Elia Forte, one of the researchers, said:Cryogenic technology is an innovation of this technolog,it uses the phase transition between the liquid and the solid to trigger the polymerization, and creates a super soft object that can keep its shape.



Although based on its predecessors, this study was the first to create a structure that is soft enough to mimic organ characteristics such as the brain and lungs.


Subsequently, the researchers tested 3D printed structures by implanting dermal fibroblasts (producing connective tissue on the skin) and found that these cells were successfully attached and viable.This finding also means the possibility of stem cells growing successfully, which is medically exciting.


In the future, this technique can also be used to replicate human organs or replace animal tissues and organs, which may be very useful to scientists.


”ZhengchuTan, one of the researchers in Imperial Mechanical Engineering Department, said: "At present, we have created a few centimeters in size, but ideally we would like to use this technique to copy a complete organ."